"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
Exodus 20:17

I remember as a small child, a well intentioned Sunday School teacher told our class it is coveting to want John’s bicycle, but it is not coveting if we merely want a bicycle like John’s. She explained that the difference was by wanting John’s bike, we were not merely desiring the bike, we were sinfully desiring that John not have his bike!

It may be true that wanting John not to have his bike so you can have it is more devious, but coveting is longing for what one does not have, period.

A word of explanation is in order. It is not wrong to desire something, to work toward earning that something by legitimate means (work), understanding that we may never get that thing, and being alright with that. An honest desire to acquire things through lawful means (work) is not coveting. It only becomes coveting when we:

Want something and are unwilling to work for it;
Become obsessed with that desire; and/ or
Are discontent without the desired thing.

Complaining and coveting are the opposite of contentment. So let us be reminded to be content by the words of Hebrews 13:5:

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

These words remind us that our ultimate contentment is in the Lord and in His abiding presence.